File for letters, documents, and the like



Au 1923. I 11,,%3,82%

A. M. M NEILL ET AL.

FILE FOR LETTERS, DOCUMENTS, AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 25 1920 FIG;

Patented Aug. 7, 1923..

UNITED STATES iaeaszi eAranr ser es.

ALAN MACKENZIE MCNEILLAND WILLIAM JOHN Aeeo'r'r, or auoKLANn, New

ZEALAND.

FILE FOR LETTERS, DOCUMENTS, AND THE LIKE;

Application filed October 25, 1920. Serial No. 419,278.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALAN MACKENZIE MoNnILL and VWILLIAM JOHN ABBOTT, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Auckland, in the Dominion of New Zealand, have invented new and useful Im provements in Files for Letters, Documents, and the like; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to filing systems by which letters, documents and the like may be filed in any desired order, as for instance, alphabetical, chronological, individual, or any other such manner or combination of manners.

The invention consists in a novel construe tion of file by the use of which the operation of filing may be readily and easily carried out and for the letters, documents or the like, being so arranged and held that any individual document may be removed from a file and replaced in its proper position without interfering with the other documents in the file. The construction of the file will allow for it being used in combination with a number of others to form a complete filing system from which any particular file may be removed at will and replaced without interfering with the others, and in which files that have been filled may be removed for storage on shelves or in cupboards and replaced by an empty one of the same nature.

The said combination of files adapts itself to use in any of the well known filing systems, in which each file is contained within a binder case of its own, or in which all of the files are arranged together in cabinets. In all instances, however the files themselves act as refills for the system and are i used to replace other filled files of like nature from time to time removed from the binder cases or cabinets.

The invention covers a construction of file made of book form with top and bottom covers of approved stiffness and having its binding constructed to allow of the expansion of the spaces between the several leaves, and having their outer edges stepped in the well know index form and marked in order in correspondence with the divisions of the file whether alphabetical, chronological or the like. Combined with the file thus constructed, is a wrapper band formed by a strip adapted to extend across the back of the file and to overlap its two covers, and

a tape or string passing round the file and its ends secured together. The portion of the strip passing over the back of the file is provided with spaces to enter thereon the particulars of the documents placed in the file and other reference matters.

A further improvement consists in forming each leaf of the file of diagonally corrugated paper, thus treated in order to stiffen the leaf while permitting it to be made of thin nature, thereby economizing in the cost of construction.

A still further improvement consists in forming the wrapper before-mentioned with its strip portion attached permanently to the bottom cover of the file. This may be done by shaping it as a tongue integral with the cover extending from near the back edge and connected to the main portion by disconnected cuts, 30 that the tongue maybe cut out and doubled back and around the back edge of the file. Or, it may be done by attaching a separate piece to the cover and combining the tape therewith.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the complete files showing the wrapper secured around it and the file ready for stors ing away. it

Figure 2 is a bottom viewof the file Figure 3 is a back elevation thereof. Figure 4 is an enlarged detail showing the manner of binding the leaves of the file together. I

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of one of the leaves showing the manner of corrugating its surface.

The file is composed, as shewn, of a nuinbound together in book form between top and bottom covers B and C each of light cardboard or strawboard material. Each leaf may be formedof a thin paper corrugated diagonally, as shewn in Figure 5, in order to obtain a stiffness that would otherwise only be obtainable by an increase in the thickness and weight of the paper employed. To give greater stability to the whole file the different leaves may then be arranged with their corrugations extending respectively in opposite diagonal angles with those next in order to them.

The leaves are bound together in book formby means of folded zigzag strips D of stiff material pasted between them in the manner shewn in Figure 4. This allows for the distance between each two leaves being contracted and expanded and for the whole file contracting and expanding concertina or bellows fashion. The individual spaces between each two leaves will therefore adapt themselves to the increased spaces required as letters or documents are filed between them, while remaining perfectly fiat throughout.

The free edges of the leaves are stepped in the usual progressive manner adopted for indexes, as for instance in the manner shown in Figure 1 where the file is divided into twelve divisions corresponding with the months of the year. Any approved divisions or subdivisions of this nature may be adopted so as to suit any special circum stances.

The bottom cover C, in the form shown in Figure 2, is treated to form the tongue E extending transversely across most of its width from near its back edge to near its front edge. This is formed in the instance sh'ewn by broken lines of cuts 6 defining the shape of the tongue so that when required the whole tongue may be easily loosened from the main part of the cover. This tongue is therefore capable of being doubled back so as to extend around the back of the file, as shewn in Figure 3. It has a tape F combined with it by being threaded in and out through it, as shewn in Figure 2 and its two ends left loose. When the file has been filled the tongue is bent back around its back and thetwo tape ends then carried round the file in opposite directions and knotted together, as shewn in Figure l, to securely hold the file and the documents therein, and allow of the filled file being stored on edge or on the fiat, upon shelves or the like, for future-access and reference. The tongue and its tape thus form a wrapper for the file that may be removed whenever it is required to remove papers therefrom or tofreplace documents therein. The tongue may have printed onthe surface that faces outwards when it is doubled back, and in a position such as to be positioned across the back of the file, particulars of thenature of the files contents, as for instance those indicated in Figure 3. These will be arranged to read 9 across or along the tongue, according to whether the file is to be laid flat or stood upon its end when stored.

The wrapper instead of thus being formed by the integral tongue E may be formed of an entirely separate length of stiff paper through whichthe tape F is threaded in the same way. Or, again the tongue maybe formed of a separate part pasted on to the back of the cover to ,form a loose tongue and having the tape F threaded through it.

The provision of the file with the tongue E will however, provide for the tongue when it is loosened serving a dual purpose, viz. that already described, and in addition to hold the file in position within a binder case during the period of the filling of the file, by being slipped beneath a catch with which such binder case may be formed in a manner that is well known.

In some cases, the outer edges of the file, instead of being progressively stepped, as shewn in the drawings may he formed plain and have the distinguishing indicators secured thereon by paper tabs projecting out from the edges.

e claim Y 1. A file for documents and the like formed of covers, a number of leaves bound together in bookform, between the said covers, by extensible zigzag binding and having one cover provided with a tongue extending transversely therewith from near its back edge so as to extend towards the front edge, and a tape threaded longitudinally through such tongue.

2. A file for documents and the like formed of covers and leaves bound together in book form between the -:said covers by extensible zigzag binding and having one cover formed with a tongue extending transversely from near its back to near its front edge and shaped by broken cuts in the said cover, and a tape threaded longitudinally through such tongue.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID BROWN HU'r'roN, HERBERT MALOOLM MGNEiLL. 

